Page 46 (1/2)

I stare at her, desperate to confess Scared of her reaction I part my lips, but the words won’t co uess?” Her voice is so soft, I lean in to hear her “I…I have my suspicions Can I ask you questions and you answer ests is the coward’s way out And considering I’m pretty much a coward at this verydeep, she takes a step back, leaning against the dresser behind her “Whatever happened to you in your past, happened here, didn’t it? Not in the guesthouse but here, at this house Not at school, not anywhere else, right?”

I s hard and nod once

“Okay” She presses her lips together, her eyes clouded hat looks like worry “I think…it has to do with Adele, doesn’t it?”

I’m silent Paralyzed I want to say yes I want to run She’s so close So close to figuring it out and then I realize she probably already has figured it out, and I’m so full of shaed breath, rubbing the back ofto puke

Fear is in her eyes as she looks at me Sympathy and worry and tears I don’t want her to shed for me “She—she molested you, didn’t she?”

I shake my head, shocked at her choice of words “She didn’twith her”

Fable’san affair That’s it Nome when I was a little kid She went after me, seduced me, I fell for her, and we had an affair for years” I spit the last words out, so disgusted with ht “There Fable There’s your answer Now that you have it, what do you think? I’ her slip inside ain and again She always kne to get me hard and I couldn’t stand how easily she had control over s andbelieve I just said all that I told her everything Everything

Fable just stands there gaping at me, her eyes still flooded with tears “Ho old were you when this first started?”

“Almost fifteen” Horny as fk, too Adele knew it She was beautiful, mysterious She flattered me, flirted with me and I responded She’s only eleven years older than me, she’d tell me we had more in co I knew, she was sneaking intodown on ht I would black out

I was young, full of horer to fk Constantly And despite the shame and the hatred I had for ht out her attention because for a brief moment, I felt wanted, desired, loved

And after, when she’d leave usted Full of hate for her and for myself For my dad, as completely blind to it all Forand wasn’t there to protect e of you, Drew That’s not an affair between two consenting adults, that’s your step, her entire body shakes,